Switch mechanism.



H. F. KRANTZ.

SWITCH MECHANISM.

APPLICATION FILED MAYS, I914 Patented Feb. 12, 1918.

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SWITCH MECHANISM.

APPLICATION FILED MAY 5. l9l4.

Patented Feb. 12, 1918.

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zm'zrzeases A! a. ffornv' UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

TUBING- COMPANY, IN (3., OF BROOKLYN, NEW YORK, A CORPORATION OF NEWYORK.

SWITCH MECHANISM.

Application filed May 5, 1914. Serial No. 836,423. I

To all whom it may concern:

. Be it known that I, HUBERT F. KRANTz, a citizen of the United States,residing at Brooklyn, county of Kings, city and State of New York, haveinvented certain new and useful Improvements in Switch Mechanism, ofwhich the following is a clear, full,

and exact description,

This invention relates to an improved electric switch mechanism for usewith either a push button, lever throw or pull switch, particularly ofthe quick-make and quick-break DP It is the object of the invention tomake a switch of this character in which the user upon breaking contactand up to the time of actual break will necessarily increase thepressure on the contacting parts, and in which the contact, when oncemade, will be maintained by resilient pressure on the part of theoperating means. I prefer to use a switch blade. which is inherentlyresilient itself in accomplishing the purpose set forth. A more detailedob ect of the invention is to provide a quick-breakmechanism made up ofspring parts movable through a dead centerlposition to reverse theetfect of said spring parts from a force tending to on position to aforce tending to off position,

and to provide a contact member of such anature, and so connected as toserve in part, to effectually prevent the spring parts from standing inthe dead center position.

The scope of my invention will be set forth in the claims.

In the accompanying drawings:

Figure 1 is a side elevation of a pull form of my improved switch.

Fig. 2 is a section on line 22 Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 is a section on line 44 of Fig. 4.

Fig. 4 is a plan of Fig. 1.

Fig. 5 is a sectional view of a push button switch on line 5-5 Fig. 6. I

Fig. 6 is a section-on line 66 Fig. 5.

Fig. 7 is a section of a leverthrow switch, on line 77, Fig. 8.

Fig. 8 is a section on line 88 Fig. 7.

Fig. 9 is a view similar to Fig. 5 of a modified type of push buttonswitch.

In the drawings: Figs. 1 to 4, I haveillustrated my invention as appliedto a pull switch.

The base plate 1 has a terminal device Specification of Letters Patent.

consisting of four flat contact plates 2, 3, and 5 to which supplyconductors and branch circuit conductors are connected.

4 HUBERT F; KRANTZ, OF BROOKLYN, NEw YoRK, ASSIGNOR '10 KRANTZ MANUFAC-A casing 6 guides an operating rod '7 I which may be reciprocated fromthe position shown in full lines, Fig. 3 to that shown in dotted lines.Contact blades 8 and 9 carried by a rec1procatory carrier 10, and of theinherently resilient or brush type are adapted to contact with theterminal plates.

The carrier 10 surrounds and is guided upon the casing 6, and consistsof side plates 11 and 12 secured by end rods 13.

The operating rod 7 is recessed at 14 and provided with a shaft 14 onwhich is mounted two rods 15 and 16, their ends passing freely throughopenings in blocks 17 and 18 pivotally mounted in the carrier 10.

Springs 19 and 20 abut against collars 21 on the rods 15 and 16 and theother end of' each spring rests against the blocks 17 or 18.

The device, when in the position of Figs. 1 to 4, in contact, due to thesprings 19 and 20, carries the contact blade or blades to bear withpressure of the springs upon the terminal blocks.

\Vhen it is desired to break contact the springs are even more greatlycompressed until they reach a dead center, when the slightest additionalmovement causes them to lift the contact blades and break the circuit Ifind in practice that such dead center is only theoretical and that itis impossible to cause the switch blade to stop in such position.

This immediately destroys the dead center position and renders thesprings 19 effective to send the carrier forthwith into the 0H position.The pressure of the springs 19 for urgin the blocks 17 and 18 downwardlyis somewhat increased when the pivot pin 14A begins its downwardmovement, and as the downward 'movement proadded force until when thepivot pin 14 has reached a point almost the dead center position thisforce 1s suddenly released to cause destroyed, perhaps causing the pivotcenters of the bloclis to bound above the plane of thepivot pin. Thisim-' mediately destroys the dead center position and renders the springs19 effective to send the carrier forthwith into the'ofi'.'

position. This is a very important advantage of the combination in thatit insures a,

full, complete and positive operation of the device with every downwardmovement. of

the operating rod. Moreover, it enables the employment of a fiat surfacecontact between the switch blades and the contact ter.- minals. In thislatter connection it should be noted that where a fiat surface, contactis employed anda dead center position of' the springs is possible, thenif. at any time such a dead center positionbe assumed, as

by not pressing down the rod sufficiently far,

button type.' The terminals,-.blades, carrienbperating springs and theirrods and blocks are as shown in the figures before described withrelation to the pull type of switch, but the central reciprocatingoperating rod is replaced by astationary post 30 on which tWo connectedcollars 31 and 32 are slidable. The collar 31 is secured to the rods '34of the operating mechanism and the collar 32 to a link 35-secured to apush button 36. A rocker arm 37 pivoted at 38 to the post 30 is attachedto the push button 38 so that th collars may by .push button action becaused to move the. rods 34 into and past dead center, as in the pulltype heretofore described. V

A lever type of switch is shown in Figs. 7 and 8.'

To the base,.40 upstanding terminals 41 and 42 are secured, inherentlyresilient switch blades 43 carried on insulating blocks 44 and of ageneral L shape are adapted to make contact as shown in Fig. 7. Theinsulating blocks 44 are secured to a sliding carriage 45 sliding on;guides 46.

A pivoted block 47 on the carriage 45 has a rod 48 passing through thecenter. The rod carries a spring-49 and is secured to one end of a-lever50 pivoted at 51 to the face of the switch;

In the position of Fig. 7 the spring 49 continually presses the contactblade against its terminals. Upon swingin 'the switch lever over toposition indicated by dotted lines as soon as the rod passes aperpendicular osition (dead center) the blade will be slot to the leftand contact immediately broken.

In'carryin'g out this invention, details of construction may 'be' variedfrom those shown, and yet the essence of'the invention be retained; someparts might be employed without others, and new features thereof mightbe combined with elements old in the art-in diverse ways, althought-heherein ele-v scribed type is regarded as embodying sub-' 'stantialimprovements oversuch modifica.' .tlons.

As many changes could be made in the above construction, and manyapparently widely different embodiments of the-inven tion could be'madewithout departing from the scope thereof, it is intended that all mattercontained in the above description or shown'in the accompanying drawingsshall be interpreted in an'illustrative and not .in a" limiting sense. 7e

It is furthermore desired to Be understood i that the language used inthe followingclaims is intended to cover. all thegeneric and specificfeatures of theinvention herein described, and all statements 'of'thescope of the invention which as a matter of language might be said tofall therebetween.

I claim asmy invention:

1. In a switch mechanism, comprising a quick-break means for' moving theswitch blade away from a contact member, said quick-break meansincluding 'aspring exert- '105 ing a tendency to urge the switch bladeagamst the contact, andsaid spring being f movable through a dead-centerposition for reversing its efi'ectiveness upon the'switch blade tothereby break the switch bladeaway from the contact, the'cpmbinationtherewith of a flexible switch blade which is connected between thespring and the contact to re: ceive pressure from the spring, and anop-- crating member operable upon the spring to increase the pressure ofthe spring against the switch blade andthereby to flex the switch bladebetween the spring and the'contact, said operating member being also 1adapted to move the spring through its dead-center positionjo relievethe pressure of the spring upon theswitc'h blade and thereby to enablethe stored energy in the switch blade to cause' the-switch blade to movein a'direction away from'the contact and thus to act as an auxiliary tothe breakmg action of the spring. t

2. In a switch mechanism, a flexible switch blade movable toward andaway' from a relatively stationary contact memsaid carrier having anopening therethrough within which the toggle operates, a guide memberfor the carrier also received in said opening, the flexible switch bladebeing mounted upon the carrier so as to receive pressure from thesprings of the toggle through the carrier, and an operating memberoperable upon the toggle to increase the pressure of the springs thereofupon the carrier and thereby to flex the switch blade against thecontact by pressure from the carrier, said operating member being alsoadapted to move the to gle through its dead-center position to re ievethe pressure of the springs of the toggle upon the switch blade andthereby to enable the stored energy in the switch blade to cause theswitch blade to move in a direction away from the contact and thus toact as an auxiliary to the breaking action of the toggle.

3. In a switch mechanism, comprisinga floating carrier, a contact membersupported by the carrier to move therewith, a standard, a memberslidable upon said standard, a pair of spring devices connected betweensaid member and said carrier comprising a double spring toggle of whichsaid member is the knee Joint, the double spring toggle being movable bysaid member through thedead-center position for exerting pressure tourge'the carrier suddenly into on or off positlons, an operating leverpivotally mounted intermediate its ends, link connections between saidlever and said member to slide said member for operating said toggle inresponse to the swinging movements of said lever, and means whereby saidlever may be swung in either direction at will.

Signed at New York city, New York, this 4th day of May, one thousandnine hundred fourteen.

HUBERT F. KRANTZ.

Witnesses:

MABEL DITTENHOEFER, Fnnn F. Wmss.

